To Save a Life
by Iffert's Flame
Summary: PreStD.  One life comes to a crossroads.  Chapter 5 is up as things come to a boil between Kim and Shego over Ron.
1. A disastous end

Standard disclaimer applies. I don't own KP RS S D or anyone else for that fact of the matter. 

How to Save a Life

By

Iffert's Flame

Darkness blanketed the ruined lair as the faintest of sounds could be heard. Slowly, Shego stood shaking off the last of the dust that had coated over her body. 'Sheesh Dr. D, you've really got to make it harder for them to find the self-destruct." Twisting a smile of slight disgust she lit up one of her hands to look over the ruins. "Or at the very least have an off button instead."

Oddly enough there were little or no signs of life. Most of the synthodrones were probably crushed under tons of rock and debris, but she knew that Drakken, with all of his idiocy knew at least how to get away from a situation unharmed. Survival, Shego figured a long time ago, had absolutely nothing to do with intelligence especially where the good doctor was concerned. The Princess and the Pest had out done themselves this time in wiping out the lair, ironically leaving the walls still standing around them. Guessing from the explosion, at least the lower levels were going to stay intact for now.

Muttering several curses in several languages Shego began to try to find anything that would lead out of this maze of mess and at least get her outdoors where she could get her bearings again. This was definitely going to cost Drakken another vacation to Greece, and then Spain. Lost in thought the green-skinned villain wondered how the other two dunderheads got out alive. It was a wonder that the Pest had lived so long with all of the crazy stunts he pulled.

A moan shook Shego out of her reprieve, and she immediately slipped into a defensive posture. Secretly, she hoped that everyone was going to just call it a day and go their separate ways. A second moan was followed by hacking coughs. The moan, now that she was aware, sounded familiarly feminine. 'Drat, so much for a peaceful end.' Shego mentally prepare a second round with the Princess. Maybe if she got the Pest in trouble the Princess would be too distracted to stop Drakken and herself from making a clean get-away.

Creeping along the ruins, she could hear some muttering from the Princess. Sighing to herself Shego rounded what was left of a corner and stopped in mid-stride as a scream and faint sounds of thrown stone could be heard. The scream was only one word, and it was filled with such agony that Shego was almost shaken from the emotion put in that one word.

"RON!"

Quickening her pace Shego began to sprint forward, flaring up her plasma fists to see the terrain so that she could maneuver. The screaming continued as more rocks could be heard thrown in random directions. Shego had to actually fire one of her plasma blasts to keep from getting skulled by a rather large piece of debris. Stopping dead in her tracks again she could only look on in horror at the sight before her.

Kim Possible, the girl who could do anything, knelt unscratched by the destruction. She was desperately clawing away at a pillar that pinned a very badly hurt Ron Stoppable. The scene before her could be relived in her opponent's eyes; and the outstretched hands of Ron alone told the tale: He had pushed her out of the way of the falling pillar only to be pinned and crushed underneath himself.

Ron Stoppable, who was a buffoon, idiot, and hero one and the same was about to die; sacrificing his life so that Kim would live. Nobody in their right mind would afterward think of him as a loser ever again, living as he died, defending the love of his life from certain death.

A long time ago, Shego was a hero; someone who would save people for a living, not because she was powerful and she could, but because she wanted to do it. Years of hardened criminal activity had long since buried those feelings. Callusing over a warm beating heart that was in essence good to it core. However, this small scene made her stop and ponder at the life she lead… or could lead again.

Shego was at a crossroads... on the one hand she could let the boy... no man die and go on knowing that Kim Possible, her arch nemesis would be a shell of a woman, ripe for her final defeat. On the other hand, Shego could do something that she swore to never do again and be a hero, risking her own mortality to save his.

"P... please... Shego... he... hel... help him!." Kim practically begged on her hands and knees. It began to tear through the very fabric of who the villainous was. She could feel the warring in her soul, one darker side of her soul, who enjoyed watching her arch-nemesis on her knees, begging for mercy; and the other surprisingly strong lighter side urging Shego into action.

_Let him die._ One side spoke to her, it was seductively sweet, and so easy to follow.

_Save him._ One side plead with Shego, it was easy to ignore most of the time, but there was something different.

_Let him die. You're no hero._ The darkness said sweetly. It was true she wasn't a hero, as a matter of fact, she liked being a villain. Villainy gave Shego the rush of power and the thrill of danger that being a hero never did. Most importantly there was the freedom, so much freedom in being able to take what she wanted, when she wanted it, in the time of her choosing.

_Save him. You are no killer either. _The light spoke more sternly and with such force. That side that she always hated, it made her see things that were ugly and wrong. It kept her violent nature in check as well as kept her from falling too far. Freedom that came from villainy was one thing; killing, however, was a whole different ball of wax.

_LET HIM DIE. _The darkness roared inside of her head, she was Shego, and those where her enemies who deserve to be blasted to oblivion of getting in her way.

_'Screw it not on my watch.'_ Shego thought with finality to herself as the plasma hands glowed as bright as she had ever had made them. The impact would vaporize whatever or whoever it hit. At the moment, the only thing that Shego had hoped for was that her aim was as good as it once was.

"**MOVE IT PRINCESS**." Was the only warning that Shego gave as she unleashed a devastating blast. At first there was a big flash of green light as it hit near, on or around where Ron was. The impact itself sounded like a gust of wind through the trees as the eerie green light died down and again only darkness fell.

The only sounds that could be heard were the shuffling of feet and coughing sobs. Shego numbly walked toward where Stoppable was pinned. It would take a few seconds for her to strike up a 'plasma torch'. In her mind there were two screaming voices both vying for dominance over the other.

_You fool. You could have killed him with that blast._ Her lighter side admonished. Inwardly, Shego cringed at that point, the blast was to vaporize the debris and not him.

_You fool. You should have killed him with that blast._ Her darker side growled. It did have a point, with one fell swoop she could have ended Stoppable's pathetic life right then and there.

**_'SHUT UP._** Shego shouted in her mind, quieting her voices, trying to gather whatever frayed threads of sanity that she had left. Listening intently, she could hear a second, rasping breath. Shego let out a breath that she had held since blasting the pillar away.

"Ron?" a second voice said, closer to where Ron was laying. "Pleas.. Please say anything, something." What was said after was muffled and hard for Shego to hear herself, though in her mind she was sure it was some sort of _'If you live thought this..._' confessions.

Shego, still having sense about her did the only thing she could think of doing in the meantime. It was time to call for help. "Yo. Dr. D, where in the blazes are you?"

"Meh, Shego, I'm freezing out here at the side of the mountain waiting for you to get out here so we can escape." Drakken said on the other end of the transmission.

"Um, yeah Doc, slight change in plans. I'm kinda hoping you're a better doctor then a evil world conquering genius, 'cause we need one down here pronto." The sarcasm was the only thing from keeping Shego from loosing her mind right along with Princess.

"Are you hurt Shego?" The alarmed voice would have given Shego a more touching feeling, but under the circumstances she brushed it aside.

"No, I'm not but the Buffoon is... got himself caught underneath a pillar and almost was crushed to death." Shego responded with a hurried voice. This was going to be like pulling teeth... and if Drakken didn't come soon it would be his teeth that got pulled.

"Soooo... I'm sure that the injuries aren't that bad." Drakken must have been thinking the guy had broken an arm or something. Shego shook her head violently blew a huff of frustration.

"No you idiot! He's going to die, so get your blue butt down here and save him NOW!" She sounded like a drill instructor, but it was necessary nonetheless. As the powers that blinked out for a bit seemed to gather within her again, she let out a faint glow to see how Ron and Kim were doing. The young man was semi conscious and in a great deal of pain. Kim was doing her best to apply first aid where she could, but the internal bleeding had to be dealt with immediately.

Another sound intermingled with the silence and the murmuring. _'Good, the Doc's here.'_ Shego thought to herself walking over finally to where Ron lain. "Helps on the way sport so hang in there." Was all that Shego could say gruffly. Internally, she continued to have the conflicting voices of both hero and villain in her head. It was a debate that Shego was sure that would be dealt with later; after everyone else had been taken care, one way or the other.

Drakken stepped down from his hovercraft with a perplexed look on his face. There wasn't enough light for him to do an examination, and since the danger had passed, he decided to try and move the young boy from here and hopefully the down stairs med lab that had been left intact. "Shego, Kim, grab an end of the Bu..." Looking over to the anguish on Kim's face and the murderous glare that Shego had flared up corrected himself quickly, "Ah I mean Stoppable onto my hovercraft. It will be the best way to get him safely down to the Medical Lab." He could actually see that time was indeed of the essence if he was to save the young hero.

As the two did as instructed, Drakken himself supported Ron's back as best as he could. About the only good news was that his extremities had not been injured. However, with the spinal and neck injuries moving him was going to be very difficult.

And where was he going to find blood to transfuse into Stoppable anyway? With the tech in med lab he still couldn't synthesis blood of any type Unless... no that wouldn't work at all. Besides she'd kill him if he even suggested such a thing. Literally instead of figuratively this time

Shego just looked on as she set a broken Ron onto the deck of the small hovercraft. There was barely enough room for the two of them, much less all four, one of them who was sprawled on the floor. "Dr. D we'll meet you down at med lab, Kimmie and I can hoof it from here."

To Be Continued...


	2. Kim vs Shego?  Not really

Standard disclaimer apply. I don't own KP RS S D or anyone else for that fact of the matter.

How to Save a Life

By

Iffert's Flame

Chapter 2

As athletic as the two women were it didn't take long for Shego and Kim to get down to the med-lab. To Kim's and her own surprising relief the medical facility was virtually left untouched by the exploding 'doomsday machine'. Dr Drakken had been there for a good five minutes before they arrived. He had already called out to two of his med-synthodrones and had them place Ron's broken body upon the table. With a worried look on Drakken's face which was alone coming to a surprise to Kim, he turned to them in a quick pace and shut the doors to the Med-Lab.

Kim, who had stunned by the turn of events suddenly went red with rage as she started to run toward the door as if to kick it down. Shego could tell what the Princess was thinking, she needed to be close to Ron. At the same time Shego realized what Drakken was doing by keeping the two of them outside while the doctor did his work.

With a burst of speed and a powerful leap Shego cleared over Kim's rushing form and stood there between Kim and the doorway. Odds were that this was going to get very ugly, very quickly. With a deep breath she spread her arm's, keeping her hands unlit, barring Kim from coming any closer without running through Shego. "That's far enough Kimmie, Doc for once knows what he his doing. Don't do this."

"Shego." Kim's teary eyed form dropped into a fighting stance. Shego simply moved her hands in a non-threatening manner in front of her body as Kim continued, "I should have known this was a trick to take Ron away from me. What sort of sick twisted experiment does that maniac have for him?"

Part of Shego felt betrayed, didn't she just go out of her way to knowing that there was little time before the battle would begin Shego answered as quick as possible, "You've got to be kidding me right?" It was the wrong thing to say as she blurted it out. "The Doc's going to take care of your boyfriend." She knew that there was little chance that this was going to have a peaceful end, still... "Come on Princess, you aren't going to do anything stupid are you?"

As if to answer her question Kim began to charge Shego, flexing her arm backwards for a powerful hay maker. The cooler head between the two of them dropped into a defensive low stance slightly moving away from the door. When Kim zoomed in on where Shego was standing she brought her fist across, hoping to punch Shego in the jaw and possibly knocking her out. However, Shego's response was to lean slightly way from the punch. With Kim overextended the green villainess brought her own leg up and kicked Kim's legs out from under her in a lightening fast sweep.

Kim fell down like a sack of potatoes, losing her balance and in her rage she struggled to get back up, quickly. Spinning back around and quickly gaining the advantage Shego dropped her knee on top of Kim's back as her opponent tried desperately to get off of the ground. "Come on Kim this isn't helping any." Shego said, sounding slightly annoyed with the young heroine. In truth, a plasma strike from behind would end things, and her Nemesis's life quickly.

Again there was that struggle from within that kept Shego herself off balance. Logically, in Shego's mind, she understood that Kim was overreacting and that it was honestly not her fault for trying to plow through her to get to Stoppable. There was a satisfaction in the villainous part of her mind, where the hero's heart went out to the now prone an pinned Kim. Placing her weight down and pinning Kim's shoulders to the ground she whispered, "Look, this is on the up and up, alright... and to prove it, I'm going to let you up. If you reeeeeally want to continue this fight until Dr D's done with Ron, its your gig and I'm up for anything you've got. Otherwise kill the drama, its not helping your boyfriend any."

The response was a whimper as the struggling shoulders wilted. Shego could see that Kim was not going to continue. Part of her, the one that was cheering Shego on to play the 'hero' again sighed in relief, as the villainous part sighed in disgust. Somehow, the disgust was less forceful the it use to be. Rolling off of her adversary Shego knelt beside Kim. Kim's fists were balled up and pounding the ground as she got to her own knees. Shego could hear her say 'Its not fair.' and 'It should have been me.' over and over again.

"He did what you would have done for him." Shego said looking toward the door, "Your boyfriend really loves you." There was something that crossed over Kim's face as she sat up fully. It was a mixture of anger and bitterness, this time probably not toward Shego as much as herself as Kim looked toward the ground, letting the tears flow freely.

"He's not my boyfriend... and he doesn't... love me like that." Kim said simply, and as plainly written on her face there was something else that she was saying, 'But, I do wish otherwise.'

Shego rolled her eyes flicking her hair back with the tips of her fingers. Fighting the team for two years straight had shown Shego many things about her opponents. Shego let out a frustrated sigh, "Oh yeah, how many other uncoordinated, bumbling guys do you know that would go day after day to 'save the world' get little recognition and even be humiliated time after time if he didn't feel some sort of devotion for you."

"Ron and I have known each other for 11 years Shego. He's my best friend." Kim said simply, as if it was the most obvious thing in the whole wide world.

There was a snort that came from Shego as Kim looked at her banefully. 'I don't believe this. The Stoppable guy I could understand, he's a guy for goodness sakes, a teen at that. But if Stoppable was anymore closer to Kimmie they'd be attached at the hip...' the thought was. It was almost comical in a way to Shego as she was thankful that she was not a teenager anymore. Too much drama and too little common sense. Throwing up and waving her hands again she said, "Whoa whoa there, no need to get testy Princess. I just know that there are friends... and there are friends.", Shego continued as she pointed toward the double doors of med-lab. As much of crisis of conscious that Shego was having she hoped to all that was holy that Kim didn't need a diagram for her. "I'd be jealous myself if I cared at all." With that she crossed her arms together. 'Jealous that there isn't anyone like that who would be show such devotion to me.'

"It won't matter soon will it?" Kim said sagging once again looking forlorn toward the doors again. Shego was pretty sure that Kim was considering rushing them, but without the fire of her anger Kim wasn't going to get very far. "I... I... I mean what just happened... it won't matter at all."

Shego looked back toward the back of Kim's head for a moment. Weighting her options and taking a deep breath she spoke, "Look, Dr. D's an idiot when it comes to taking over the world; but when it comes to medical or chemical stuff he's pretty swift on the uptake." She wasn't putting out false hope, the chances of the Pest living was nil at best, but she needed to do something to calm down the Princess. "He's going to do his best to save Stoppable's life."

The double doors burst open with Drakken, who's uniform blue now had splotches of purple from the blood that had soaked through the fabric. Shego could see the look in his eyes and immediately could tell that something was terribly wrong. Kim was the first to get her voice as she croaked, "He's... he's gone isn't he?" The hollowness in her voice tore into Shego once again.

Drakken who stopped for a moment looked from Kim to Shego, who wore a passively irritated look to her, said, "Shego I need you." With a cool measured step he turned back into the Med-Lab. From the glance, both Shego and Kim could see Ron's prone body, his eyes were closed and his face was masked with some sort of breathing device. There were blips and sounds of mechanical devices that seemed to hover around the young man.

As the door shut behind him Shego stood up and walked around and in front of Kim. Bending down she place one arm on her adversaries shoulder and spoke in a whisper, "Look, I'm going to go see what Dr.D wants. If I'm not back in two minutes go around that corner over there to another set of doors. There is an observation booth were you can see everything that is going on, alright?"

Kim mutely nodded as she stood up and placed her hand on Shego's shoulder. Shego being the first to let go turned toward the double doors of med-lab and walked toward the awaiting doctor. Wasting no time she growled, "Ok Doc, what the blazes are you waiting for? Is the guy going to live or are we just sitting here twiddling our thumbs to see how long it is before the Princess decides to tear this place and us apart piece by piece?"

"Shego, there isn't much time." Drakken looked around as if to see if someone else was listening. "Stoppable is... meh, dying but there is nothing that I can do about it." There was a part of him that seemed to be livid, maybe because he saw it as another failure. Shego knew that it was something that gnawed at the very fiber of Drakken's being.

"So operate on the guy and sew up whatever is busted up." Shego again spoke irritated, not knowing why it was that Drakken had dragged her in here just to tell her that. Looking at the clock, she knew that there wasn't much time left before Kim went to the observation booth and was able to hear everything said.

"Its not like plumbing, I can't just get a plunger from a hardware store to get everything flowing right. The Boy had just lost too much blood. Even if I could fix the damage there isn't much that I could do with so much blood lost." Shego closed her eyes as her green tinged face pale a bit more. There was something that Drakken was going to say.

"That's where I come in, isn't it?" Shego said bitterly. It was plain on her face that she'd rather eat nails then do what Drakken was about to suggest that she did.

"You blood is irradiated with healing compounds. I've done the experiments, and your a universal donor." He winced as pure fury crossed Shego's face. Part of him for sure was ready to fall over in a fetal position, and he would have as the her hands blazed with the fury that she was feeling.

"Listen to me you asinine pain in the neck, if I EVER catch you doing experiments on my body, my blood, or any other part of me EVER again, I will make you feel like a beaten pinita after a birthday party, then I'll go to work on you. Do you READ me?" Shego felt very betrayed, and it would have felt worse if Ron's pulse didn't fall to such dangerous levels. In this case though, she could temporarly overlook Drakken's stupidity. There would be time in the weeks and months ahead that they would fully discuss the arrangement the two of them had together.

Looking over her shoulder she could see the faint light of someone entering the observation booth. Screwing her eyes shut and then opening them again Shego continued, "So you want me to give up a couple of pints of blood to save his sorry hide?" Not waiting for an answer she looked up with a snear and said softly, "Fine, fine, I'll do it."

"I need three." Drakken said fearfully. They both knew the risks that incurred, but with Shego's stamina there was little chance that she would die from excessive bleeding. It would just be a blazes of a recovery time for her.

"Three? Are you flat bat-side out of your mind?" Shego said none the less as one of the synthodrone had wheeled up another table next to Ron's body. She trusted Drew about as far as she could throw the building at the moment, but with a sigh she resigned herself, "Ok, but I'm wanting a raise after this one Drew, you've got that?"

Inside of her there was no debate. Neither side spoke as she silenced her thoughts. Either way she was going to save his life, but why was the question. Was it to hang something over Kimmie's head at a later date? Was it because Shego had never killed before? (Goodness knows that she wanted to ace the Princess for screwing with her enough) Or was it a yearning to do the right thing for the right reasons once again?

As she was prepped for a direct transfusion, Shego caught a look in the booth where Kim was standing. The young heroine was leaning against the window, and from here it looked as if she was wondering the same thing that Shego was thinking a few moments ago. It was half way between, 'Has he lost his mind' and 'I hope beyond hope that what he is doing is going to work.'

The synthodrone mechanically put the equipment in the right place as Drakken found a vein quickly. Shego gave a quick nod to Drakken as he placed the needle in her arm. Idlely in her mind she never noticed that the blood that flowed in her body actually had a slight glow to it. As it arrived into Ron his body gave an immediate jerk, as the pulse shot up dangerously high. Calmly though Drakken continue his work between Shego and Ron.

Her eyes were getting heavy... the loss of blood was making Shego very drowsy. Looking up to the observation booth, she could see that Kim had never moved a muscle from her spot. With sleep about to over take the villainess she simply looked up to her nemisis and gave a thumbs up before drifting to sleep.

To Be Continued...


	3. Awakening

A quick word of thanks to those of you who have taken the time to write a review.

Spectre666 was kind enough to find an error in my writing that I missed in proofreading Thanks again for the help.

How to Save a Live

By

Iffert's Flame

Chapter 3

Slowly, Shego awoke from her slumber. She felt as if she had gone twenty rounds with Kim Possible and had lost each and every one of them. Assessing herself without much movement she could tell that she was going to have a heck of a time getting out of bed. Looking around the room she could tell immediately that she was no longer in Drakken's Lair. Instead of the gray metallic walls of Dr. D's place, the walls were very white, both from the window and sunlight and the annoying glare of florescent lights. It meant that in the very least she was in a real hospital, and at worst in the custody of the GJ. Either way Shego didn't think it was a very good sign. Looking over to the monitor that she was hooked up to she could read that all of her life signs were normal. Well as normal as someone having the body temperature of a small furnace went anyhow. She could tell that there were probes on her body and at least two needles under her skin.

Again with a weakness of a kitten she moved her arms to see if she was being held down by restraints. It hurt her arm like the dickens that she moved her arm with the IV attached to her, but other then that she felt as if she was free to move her body about. Her mind wondered a bit where she was again, now that she was not restrained from leaving if she could.

"Ah good your awake." An unfamiliar voice said out of Shego's limited view. It was female with an authoritative tone which asked, "How do you feel?"

Taking a deep breath Shego mustered a whisper, "I ache, I'm tired... body feels like lead and I feel like my mouth is full of cotton balls. Otherwise happy to be alive." She dared to move her head around to where the voice had come from. As difficult as it was she could see a woman who stood at least her own height with blazing red hair just like, "Possible." Silently, and knowingly Shego cursed her bad luck. 'What was the Ferinegi saying again? "No good deed goes unpunished." ' she thought to herself turning back her head to her original position.

"Doctor Ann Possible", the doctor answered as she walked up to Shego. Her face was neutral as she examined some of the readouts that she got off of the monitors. She took out a thermometer and got ready to place it into Shego's mouth, but asked hesitantly, "What is your normal temperature?"

"Depends, it jumps around between 125 and 130 degrees." Shego said before Dr. Possible nodded and place it underneath Shego's tongue. She noticed that the Doctor's demeanor softened a bit as she pulled up a chair and sat next to the villainess. For a minute (which for Shego was pretty long for having something metallic shoved in her mouth) the two did nothing but stare at one another. Shego wondered if she was going to get a tongue lashing for trying to hurt Dr. Possible's daughter.

Instead Dr. Possible continued to stare at Shego, and for some reason it made Shego a bit uncomfortable. Much better the tongue-lashing then begin stared at, as if the good Doctor was going to burn two holes in her head.

One beep later, Dr. Possible pulled out the thermometer and gave it a shake. "Well, according to this your having a low grade fever of 123." She walked away for a moment before walking back with a cup of water. "Can you hold this?" As Shego struggled to pull up her arm, it only flopped a bit. "No?", The doctor continued before Shego could answer, "Then let me help."

Shego could feel her head being lifted up slightly as Dr. Possible took the controller of the bed and raised her body to a more sitting position. Placing the cup on the lips of Shego she said, "Drink it slowly. That should take care of some of the bad taste in your mouth."

The only answer was Shego sighing before the water entered her mouth. She hated to feel like an invalid, but another part of her was genuinely surprised that someone else other then Drakken was willing to help her so quickly.

An odd looked must have crossed Shego's face because Dr. Possible simply took back the cup of water and said, "Yes, it is part of my job, but, personally, I wanted to find a way to thank the person who saved Ron's life yesterday. Kim was very distraught when he was first brought into the hospital but Ron has started to make a remarkable recovery from his injuries."

"So the idiot's going to live. Good." Shego said looking away from Dr. Possible, part in shame, part in irritation. While her disdain was evidently fake on the outside, inside she was very glad that Stoppable's life was no longer in danger. After a few moments of silence she continue, "So, not to sound any more rude but when are you guys going to turn me over to the authorities? I'd like to get the blazes out of here as soon as possible."

"When you recover, you may leave as you wish." Dr. Possible responded as she got out of her chair and walked over to window as she began to open the shades. Both could see that the sun was about to rise over the Rockies. "For now though, your not strong enough to make it out of here on your own. And according to Dr. Drakken, it'll take you at least another day to make a full recovery of your blood loss and injuries."

Shego, to her dismay, remembered quite clearly the injuries that she sustained in the last fight. A few cracked ribs and an extended muscle, that would have normally recovered overnight. Heroically, or stupidly depending on the point of view, used her own blood to heal someone else, meaning a slower recovery for herself. She rolled her eyes with the prospect of having to wait for a day. Though the thought did pop up, "So why not turn me over? I mean, you've got me lock, stock and barrel."

"Because, Kim... asked me not to turn you over to Global Justice." Dr. Possible responded glancing at Shego before turning back toward the sunrise. "Its against my better judgment, and the law, but she didn't feel right turning you into the authorities, when you risked your freedom to save Ron's. You might want to think about that when you leave."

"Listen your Princess doesn't..." Shego never finished the sentence as she was silenced by a stern look from her Nemesis's Mother. The look on her face wasn't one of condemnation but sadness though. She could see for the first time how worn Dr. Possible had actually been. Her usual sunshine smile had drooped and there were definitely rings under her eyes. "Look, its not like I'm thankful or anything but, Kimmie and Me, we are ... well..." There was no easy way to say it, "are each other's adversaries, you know? Its not like one of us one day decided that we loathed each other's existence and I don't think that we are ready to be best buds overnight either."

It was an uncomfortable feeling that Shego was feeling. Part of her wanted to kick herself for babbling like an idiot, and the other wanted to know where the conversation was going. Once again, Kim's mother said nothing, as she turned back toward the window.

Oh why the blazes would 'I' care anyway, Shego frowned. She did her level best to humph and turn over, still not having the strength to move. That would come back with some nourishment and time. Looking over at the elder Possible she sighed, "How do you do it?"

"Do what?" Dr. Possible asked not shifting her gaze from the window. The sun was just starting to peak over the mountain tops in the distance.

Taking a deep breath, "How do you let your daughter, who's a pain in the neck, go out on mission after mission, fully knowing that she might not come back one day?" Shego kept telling herself it was to kill the silence between the two women, but deep inside she wanted to actually know.

"Prayer... faith... and a busy work schedule." Dr. Possible answered with a dry chuckle. "I have to force myself to pull back on my maternal instincts and not let her go out on these missions." The sniffle, gave away how hard it actually was.

"She's good. With the idiot she's almost unstoppable." Shego continued to used the nickname to keep a distance between herself and the feelings of the days before. "It never occurred to me until a few months ago how good the dork actually is for her."

"I wish you wouldn't call him those words, he gets enough of that from school." Dr. Possible said in almost a scolding tone. The surprise on Shego's face again must have been evident because she continued, "He helps Kimmie save the world... and keeps her safe... and I hear about all of the ridicule that he receives at school."

"Your kidding me right?" Shego was actually beside herself. Sure the guy was a complete dork and spaz, but he did help Kim save the world more then a few times. "I mean he's no Rambo, or Arnold but still the boy's got a few moves and has well..." this was going to be hard to admit, "Helped dismantle more then a few of Dr. D's devices. That's got to mean something to somebody around here."

"It does to the people who care for him." Dr. Possible said straighting herself up again. Turning back toward Shego she wiped a tear of two away, quickly she switched the subject toward the patient, "So, now what are you going to do?"

"Honestly, I don't know passed wanting to get out of here as quick as possible." Shego tried her best to shrug it off. In all honesty she didn't know quite what to do. For the first time in years she could decide on her own what it is that she wanted to do. At the very least she thought to herself, she'd talk to Drakken one more time before deciding what to do.

The beeper on Dr. Possible's belt interrupted any further thought along those lines. The Doctor turned toward Shego as she was about to leave. "I'll be back later. Perhaps, you need time to think about your next step." With that she left, leaving Shego alone with her thoughts.

To Be Continued...


	4. I speak  Do you listen?

Thank everyone for their reviews and help in the forum.

Usual disclaimer applies: I don't own anything. Its all Disney.

How to Save a Life

By

Iffert's Flame

Chapter 4

By mid-afternoon, Shego was feeling much better. Not that she could run and do jumping jacks but after another short nap she was able to move around on her own. Keeping her arm, with the IV in her, as still as possible she swung her body to an upright and sitting position. Shego was surprised as she leaned forward slightly winded by the sudden movement. Taking another look around the room there was a curtain that was placed between herself and the bed on the other end of the room.

Closing her eyes she listened a bit, waiting to hear if someone else was in the room. It was slightly disappointing to hear another set of instruments in the bed next to her. That means that someone else was next to her. It was perplexing though, who would be allowed near her, as dangerous as she was. Even if Dr. Possible trusted her slightly, the trustworthiness wasn't enough to allow someone else to be around a dangerous being as herself, right?

Annoyed with the mystery, Shego moved herself to the chair that Dr. Possible was sitting, using its edge to steady herself with. Taking another deep breath she reached up and grabbed the curtain and pulled it back to where she could see who was on the other side.

It didn't surprise her what was waiting for her on the other side, though it left her wondering why it was arranged this way. Ron Stoppable, the boy who shouldn't even be alive right now, breathing pretty much on his own. His eyes were shut as the rhythm of his eyes shown that he was still asleep. Shego listened passed the ambient sounds of the monitors as she gave herself a chance to show a genuine smile. His breathing wasn't raspy nor was it labored. Both to her were good signs that he was going to pull through alright.

"You are one lucky buffoon you know that Mr. Stoppable." Shego said as she relaxed herself into the chair next to his bed. For a quick second she wondered where the Princess was. "And I don't mean that as an insult either." she wondered her hand over to Ron's and petted it. Then she pulled back a bit. "So what in the world are we going to do now, huh? I mean between you and me... on the one hand your now kinda my blood relative. If that makes you another one of my brother's I automatically have to hate you out of principle." Sitting bit and watching the young man sleep she sighed, "But then again I chose to give you some of my blood. Doesn't matter that you needed it or you would have died, but still. So that brings to me a quandary Ron Stoppable."

Taking another couple of breaths to formulate a decision she leaned over to whisper into Ron's ear, "We have three choices: One, your my brother, in which case I don't want to have anything to do with you and will hate you for the rest of your life; two, your my adversary, in which case I'll have to hold it over your head every time your Princess decides to stop Drakken's plans which is boring if you ask me... sorta takes the fun out of fighting Princess Kimmie and I look forward to doing that so I guess that is out; OR three, I'm your friend, and in that case your really in trouble."

She stopped and leaned backward into the chair again, noting that while it was rather cushier, the seat was still uncomfortable as all get out. "I mean if your my friend, then your not a loser, because I'm not friends with losers." Shego stoked her fingers along her chin as if to think about it some more, momentarily looking toward one of the monitors, "If your my friend, then if anyone messes with you, they are indirectly messing with me, and I'll have to get really irritated if I have to hand someone their backside because you can't control their big mouths. And believe me, if your mine friend, I will find out if someone is messing with you."

Feeling the irritation welling up inside of her, because of what Dr. Possible said about Ron earlier she place her hands on her hips, "That means that I'll have to teach you to fight. So every time someone tries to bully you, your going to have to hand them their backsides. Because, again as your friend if you don't then I will... and when I do, your going to wish you fought them not me."

Inside she wished that he would wake up and answer her. Shego even waited a few moments before continuing, giving him a chance to retort if he could. "And of course, your going to have to get a backbone to ask the Princess out... and don't think I haven't noticed you checking her out from time to time. I've got video tape and can prove it." Again looked at the prone and unconscious Ron, she wondered if he heard anything she had said.

"Speaking of the Princess, I wonder where she is... I was assuming that she'd be by your side until your ready to leave the hospital." Shego sounded slightly disappointed, there was a very small part of her that wanted to see how Kim was doing after all of this was over.

"Doesn't really matter though does it." Shego crossed her arms and stared at the door, which was closed, "Even when you two are apart, your always together in each other's thoughts, which makes me seriously jealous. And it can't be sibling style love, 'cause I saw the look in Kim's eyes when you were on that table with Drakken back at the lair. The Princess was in a real state you know, sobbing and crying, and I've never seen her beg before in my life. I doubt that I ever would have, and part of me hopes that it never happens again." Giving a wink, "a very little part of me that is but let's keep that secret between the two of us shall we. I do have a reputation to keep, you know."

Shego's chuckle subsided a bit as Ron still didn't move one bit. "But, I guess I'll have to say it again when you are away, eh, Stoppable? You get better and hurry up... I don't want to have to wait that long to talk to you again, got it buster." she huffed as Shego began to rise from her chair and back to her bed.

To Be Continued...


	5. Light the Inferno

To everyone who has reviewed my story. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Disclaimer: Of course I still don't own them. But I wouldn't mind it if I did.

How to Save a Life

By

Iffert's Flame

Chapter 5

Another hour was all that it took before a visitor came in the room. Of course, Shego thought banefully, they probably aren't here to see me. The thought also wondered in her head of where Drakken was. If she was free to leave when she was better certainly Drakken was as well, wasn't he? She growled a bit that he never made an appearance all day long. 'Not even a get well card' Shego willed herself not to cry with a growl.

She also had to willfully close her mind to who was visiting as well. Shego honestly at this point didn't give one rat's tail about The Princess's tears that were falling. There was enough sobbing that had been going on when the guy was going to die, but now the Pest was safe, so what was the stupid drama for anyway? At the same time Shego suddenly felt insanely jealous of their friendship. It was then that she felt very, very alone.

Drakken at the very least should have shown by now. She'd thought that he'd care enough to stick around long enough to see her. After all, they had been kicking around the world for several years now, did it just boil down to just a professional relationship. Was Shego, herself nothing more then a tool to the 'good' Doctor? If it wasn't true, where was he?

Now she felt like a character on Agony County. What was worse there was a classic scene going on right beside her own bed. 'Blast it, why don't they get their own room.' She still didn't even know why Stoppable was in the bed next to her in the first place.

"I wanted to come by and tell you something." She could hear the words literally choke out of Kim's mouth. So maybe she's going to actually say something to the dweeb about her feelings. Good, then at least that's half way dealt with. 'Okay, if this is Agony County, its going to be a good episode', Shego thought with as much sarcasm as she could muster, 'At least it takes my mind off Dr. D's disappearing act.'

"This... stich that I've gotten you into... I can't think of what life would be like without you." Good, come on there Princess, Shego thought, though for the life of her she didn't understand why she cared about listening to this confession. Still, good or evil, it would be fun to tease the Princess about from time to time.

"So... so... I've decided..." There was another sniffle. Shego rolled her eyes as Kim began stammering even more. 'Just tell the idiot.' Shego thought almost banefully toward her nemesis.

"... to quit." Kim finally finished what she said. Shego stopped thinking, as she laid in her bed stunned of what Kim just said. There was silence for a few seconds, and then she began talking again, "I'll tell Wade to take down the site... a.. and I won't do anymore missions... and... and..." Shego could hear the sobs becoming louder and louder. "the... then you'll never have to get hurt again... I won't let you because I don't want to lose you over my own need to save the world. I...its selfish of me to hav.. ma.. have you come with me." Shego wore a frustrated look as she wondered if the girl would stop babbling and get some sense in that thick head of hers. Then again, why would she care in the first place?

There was a darker side of Shego's mind, though, one that enjoyed how the confession was going. The Great Kim Possible, beaten. It had a cruelly wonderful ring to it. Another voice, screaming, begging Shego to say something, anything. Even as a rival, Kim Possible was someone that challenged her, Shego's conscious told her. Who would she fight if Kim threw in the towel?

GJ's finest? Fools. Police? Ha Ha, try again. Special forces? Maybe, but she wouldn't get the personal satisfaction that she got from fighting with the Princess. No... for good or evil, she still needed Kim, and Kim was no good to her if she 'retired' from saving the world.

Waiting a few more seconds, where Kim was still making promises of some sort if Ron just simply wake up, Shego let out a loud and exaggerated sigh, "Idiot."

"W..What?" Kim sounded surprised. Shego allowed herself a smirk as she could hear Kim pick herself out of the chair and walk around almost yanking the curtain from the ceiling in the process.

"You heard me Princess." Shego said in a mocking tone. She didn't even look at her rival, as a cruel smile crossed her face, she was too busy 'looking' at her nails, "Your an idiot."

The fury in Kim's face was evident in the grinding of teeth as she clinched her fist's into a ball, "Why? Because I want to protect Ron." Shego was pretty sure if it wasn't for the fact that they were in a hospital, and the green villainess was up to snuff, there would most assuredly be a fight.

"Oh pleaze. The Pest is going to be fine." Shego rolled her eyes, not intimidated in the least bit. Drakken's disappearance she could put to the side for the moment, as this was something Shego could deal with easily.

"And what about the next time?" Kim said loosening her fist a bit. Shego could almost read the Princess's mind like a book, the what ifs, a dangerous trap for anyone in either of their respective business. The possibilities of Ron dying, incapacitated really did shake Kimmie to the core of her being.

"Leave him behind if your so sure that he'll eventually get himself killed." Shego sneered at Kim to bait the teen hero even further. The girl had been a mess since this whole thing started. It was time for Shego to break this girl down... hard. "I mean he's just a useless piece of flesh, don't know how many times you had to save his backside because of his bumbling." She could see the fumes that were coming out of Princess's head. Digging a bit further she sneered, "Your good just without him as you are with him... ha, I bet even better considering the boy is just a... what are the people calling him at school these days? Oh yeah, LOSER."

That set Kim off as she grabbed a hold of Shego's hospital gown. Shego could see the fire lit back in her rival's eyes like an inferno as she spoke in a low and dangerous tone, "If you EVER speak about Ron like that again, I'll personally make sure that you'll spend the rest of your life eating from a feeding tube."

"Touched a nerve?" Shego sneer continued, nose to nose with her rival; though in the back of her mind she was not sure if this was the wisest course of action. An enraged Princess was almost like her own: once lit, the rage was all consuming and nearly impossible to extinguish. Shego knew that she was treading on dangerous ground at this point, but if she was going to prevent her rival from quitting it was necessary, "I'm just telling it like I see it. The boy's a buffoon, comic relief at most..."

Shaking Shego violently she shrilled, "HE IS NOT, STOP SAYING THAT YOU WITCH!" Slamming Shego's prone body back onto the bed Kim began to rant uncontrollably, "He's the most kind, selfless, partner that I could ever dream of having stand by my side. And I will do anything, and EVERYTHING to keep him from harms way... to keep him safe."

"Why?" Shego rolled off of the bed and onto her feet. She was still woozy from recovery but getting off the bed seemed like a good option at this point, just in case she had to defend herself. "Because, he's your best friend, is it? Kimmie, I know better... I know you better. Ron and you have been a thorn in my side for years now. He's always gone in harm's way along with you without a second thought to his life or limb." Though he might not act like it sometimes, Shego morbidly thought to herself, "What is so different now other then ending up in the hospital? Nearly dying saving YOUR life?"

"It should have been ME!" Kim continued to shout, taking a deep breath, "I should have been the one in that bed, not him. He did nothing to deserve that, I never wanted him to get himself killed..."

"... bu..but I'm not dead." A small voice came from behind the Kim, which stopped all fighting between herself and Shego. Ron's head had turned ever so slightly toward the too of them, as his eyes were barely open. "... thoug...h i... i feel like a pinata..." The rest of the sentence seemed to dry up on his lips as Shego watched Kim turn back toward her friend and nearly hugged him.

Shego's body language, which had her arms crossed under her chest with an evil tell-tale smirk, misled the feelings in her own heart. Part of her was greatly relieved to see the man finally awake and aware, maybe the Pest could talk sense into the Princess's thick skull. The second half, felt that pang of loneliness once again creeping over her. "About time you got up you lazy idiot." She ignored Kim's glare, focusing on Ron who had turned his face to see her better.

"..its ok.. kp.." Ron said taking a deep breath as if to concentrate on staying awake. "its.. ok." Kim's face showed the confusion that seemed to mirror Shego's own feelings. What in the green blazes was the guy talking about anyway? Unaffected by the confusing looks he must have been getting Ron breathed out, "i...i m just gl..ad that your alright."

"Of course I'm fine Ron." She wiped her eyes as they had started to become puffy and red. The tears once again fell from her face. Then she felt a very fragile, very soft thumb wipe away one of her tears.

"come'n kp... who do yo..you think your foolin'?" Ron asked as he continued to wipe the tears away. Turned away from Shego he spoke, "i... i'm pretty sure that they could hear you two in the next state." Shego could see that he was starting to get stronger now that he was awake and aware of his surroundings. Some of the color had come back into his face.

It was pretty self-evident that her recuperation abilities were working wonders for Ron Stoppable's body. "My bad Pest. I was just wondering if Kimmie-girl here was going to play with me after her visit with you." she all but sneered. Inside Shego was just glad that he didn't seem to show any malice toward her. It was one of Ron's endearing qualities, that made the decision to save his life at least easier if not palatable.

"s.. same goes for you shego..." Ron said looking straight up to the ceiling. Closing his eyes, both Kim and Shego became alarmed. With another deep breath he opened his eyes again and said, "y..your not fooling anyone, except maybe kp. .so drop the act, k?"

Shego looked around nervously thinking, 'How long had he been awake?' It was obvious that he was awake during the Princess's latest tirade, but was he awake to listen to her own little 'confession'? There was a weight that was at the pit of her stomach. Shego dismissed the thought that he had been awake the whole time and was waiting for the right moment to make a dramatic entrance.

That simply wasn't the man's style, and even if it was Ron was never subtle about it.

"sigh Alright fine, I'm glad to see you awake, you happy now?" Shego kept her voice from giving away any enthusiasm, sounding very bored while she pulled the curtain the rest of the way back so she could see him while resting herself.

"What are you two talking about?" Kim said watching the whole thing like a tennis match. Shego could see the Princess's face twitch a few times, which pleased her to no end that Kimmie was getting amp'ed a bit.

"ecstatic." Ron said licking his dry lips a bit. Kim seeing this immediately jumped up and grabbed the water pouring Ron a glass. After taking a drink he continued, "i figured after you talked to me earlier that we weren't fighting anymore."

'HE HEARD ME?' Shego thought to herself though not as shocked as Shego thought she'd be. Her eyes narrowed at Stoppable she all but jumped off the bed and leaned forward asking, "Just how long have you been awake?"

".. this mo..morning... at least i think i..it was morning." Ron said trying to give Shego a smile, but only succeeding in his mouth drooping a bit more. Shego took a deep breath as the young man continued, "... i... i wanna b..be your friend ... too... you know."

"Then you heard us? You heard me?" Kim said sitting back down. She seemed relieved about that somehow.

Shego, however, wanted to ring the boy's neck right then and there, half dead or no. How dare he play her like that, blazes he played the Princess as well all this time being awake. Her face went from fury to confusion back to anger as she demanded, "So why the blue blazes did you not say anything this morning you jackass..."

"i..tried... but it felt like i was swimming through jell-o." Ron tried to explain as four eyes bore down on him. Taking another hard swollow, out of nervousness this time, "i really did try to say something to you today shego. I wanted to thank you for saving my life, but, i couldn't and i am sorry about that."

Blanching at Ron, Shego spoke, "Yeah right sure you are. You and I are going to have a little chit-chat after you've recovered about playing people like that." With that Shego stood up and yanked the curtian closed to get some privacy.

She knew that Kim was going to say something to her about talking down to her boyfriend. That was until she heard him say, "no, kp, its ok. ...stay with me for a bit will you?"

Kimmie must have agreed because she never spoke to Shego for the rest of the evening. Which was just fine with her.

'Blast that Stoppable.' Shego thought to herself, angerly tying herself into knots. 'So kind, so nice, so blastly himself.' The young man truly confused her, so readily prepared to take her offering with such open arms. A few of her own tears started to fall.

There weren't supposed to be people like that in the world anymore.

TBC

A/N: This was truly one of the most difficult chapters to write. So many things came into play and I tried so hard not to 'force' something to happen. Also keeping to Shego was very difficult this chapter, because she is changing, hero or villain. Her fight with KP was the hardest part because I knew as I started to write it that Ron would interrupt in the middle.

Thank you everyone who has read this.

Next Chapter: Drakken has some explaining to do.


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